A potluck is a gathering of people where each participant is expected to bring a dish of food to be shared among the group. Baptist Potluck is where we will be gathering for "food for thought" from Baptists and "food for the soul" from the Word of God.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Laughing Charismatics ... pt. 2

Continued from last Monday March 12, 07

With real concern for The Third Wave,

Word-of-Faith, Signs and Wonders,

Laughing CHARISMATICS!

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What's going on in there?

WHAT KIND OF TESTIMONY?

Is the "Holy" Laughter Movement Christianity? Should we call it Satananity? Is it really Sanity at all?

The 700 Club and TBN crowds are hungry for signs and wonders, gratifying experiences, and goose-bump feelings. They are wide open to the demonic logic of the satanic counterfeits. The devils are laughing over the whole sham of these public spectacles in the name of Jesus Christ! Entertainment, emotionalism, and excitement still fill a church; but as in Hosea's day, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hosea 4:6).

WHAT KIND OF WINE?

People have a choice whether to blindly follow a popular voice in the religious world or to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15)! Joy (chara) is not interchangeable with laughter (galeo). Joy is an inner delight with God for all He has done and is doing. Joy comes from believing God's Word (Rom. 15:13; John 15:11). Joy remains during our trials after laughter is gone (2 Cor. 8:2; 1 Thes. 1:6; Jam. 1:2). Correctly interpreted, Proverbs 17:22 emphasizes the rejoicing heart contrasted to a broken spirit.

There is no biblical gift for a spirit of laughter. Rodney Howard-Browne repeats, "Fill -- let it bubble out your belly -- Ho-ho, He-he -- Fill -- Ho-ho-ho, Ho-ha-ha." His spiritual expressions and methodology are more at home with the occult than in Christianity.28 Never is there the slightest hint in Scripture that we are to worship God from the belly. "Living waters," in John 7:38, has nothing to do with laughter! The "living waters" symbolize the Holy Spirit who dwells in the heart or the innermost part of a Christian.

Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings are not Spirit-filled laughter or joy, but hysteria and frenzy which are clearly condemned by God! This bunch is responsible as millions view the chaos and disorder as a "Christian" madness (1 Cor. 14:23). Rodney Howard-Browne likes to call himself "The Holy Ghost Bartender" who dispenses "new wine"29 In Ephesians 5:18, the filling of the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in honoring God musically, melody in hearts, thankfulness, fear, and good marriages. See the context! This verse will never justify "laughing in the spirit."

WHAT KIND OF POWER?

Every Christian ought to view this "falling under the power" with grave concern! Born-again believers are not safe from satanic deceptions and experiences while fulfilling conditions for demonic activity. The closest biblical counterparts of those who fall backwards, called "slain in the spirit" today, include those who are the sinning, the unbelieving, the demonized, and God's enemies! A demon-possessed son fell into the fire and the water (Mat. 17:15). Judas and his band fell backwards when Jesus identified Himself as the great "I am" (John 18:6). Saul of Tarsus and company all fell to the earth before Jesus' glory (Acts 26:13,14). The priest and the erring prophet of wine and vomit fell backwards in Isaiah 28:13. Are they different from the new wine and the "vomiting-in-the-spirit" and the "slain-in-the-spirit" at a Rodney Howard-Browne meeting?

The spirit of antichrist will appear to be Christ. As the serpent beguiled Eve, believers are seduced by "another spirit" (2 Cor. 11:3,4).

The "Holy" Laughter movement, like the Mormon movement, developed through a boy with an experience from a god. Rodney Howard-Browne says he prayed, "Either You come down here and touch me, or I will come up there and touch You."30 He will meet God one day all right! But it will be on his face and bended knees (Isaiah 6; Phil. 2:10)!

You can't trust demons. John Wimber gets doctrine from demons! He says some demons have bodies etc. because the demons told him.31 Wimber admittedly does not know if the encounters taking place in the Vineyard movement are from God or the devil. In fact, he says "there's nothing in Scripture that supports these kinds of phenomena." Surely you would expect the head of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship that popularized this movement to go to the Word and test the spirits whether they are of God (1 John 4:1)! No, Wimber says, "So I feel no obligation to try to explain it."32

Howard-Browne's proof that this is the move of God is that when he leaves it doesn't stop.33 People, think! The blasphemous re-crucifixion of Christ in the Mass does not stop (Heb. 9:28; 10:10)! Rock music, the occult, or Satan's effort to destroy this generation does not stop! The aberrations in the Church at Corinth did not stop because Paul left; they stopped because the Apostle confronted them with the book of 1 Corinthians. Then by the time he wrote 2 Corinthians, the carnal extravagance stopped.

A study of demonology reveals that demons interact with the mind, the emotions and the flesh. God deals with us primarily in the spirit. A 1994 article of Charisma quotes Rodney Howard-Browne as saying, "One night I was preaching on hell, and laughter just hit the whole place. The more I told people what hell was like, the more they laughed." Friends, the Great White Throne judgment and the horrors of hell are no laughing matter! The works of the flesh and Satan's devils mock the Word of God and interrupt scripture. Could Browne single-handedly get so many people to fall for such a Satanic mockery? These people are responding to the powers of darkness. Their attitudes took a bad change toward preaching about God, sin, morality, growing in grace, and the Church.

$IGN$ AND WONDER$? One wonders why this group bothers to use the Bible at all. The focus is reduced to "will it sell?" Jesus Christ's command to "Go ye into all the world" becomes "Come to our meetings!" A "new zeal for evangelism" is a zeal to draw other people into the same religious aberrations. The idea of evangelizing people is to zap them.34 Their substitute is a cheap "go-with-the-flow" message.

Howard-Browne blusters how at the age of twelve, "The voice said these words to me...Your mom will not be home today."35 Are Browne’s experiences that of some super-saint or one involved with clairvoyance? People are encouraged to let go of their doctrine and clear their minds of any biblical objections. He says this is "The only way you're going to understand what God is doing is with your heart."36 (Check your brain at the door!) Beloved, God warns that your heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9)! The Bereans used their minds, searching the Scriptures even to check out the true preachers of integrity, the Apostles! Then God commended them (Acts. 17:11; 1 Thes. 5:21). Without the principles of the Word of God, how are we to see through the deceptions, the complex issues, the false Jesus, the false gospel, and the false Spirit? (2 Cor. 11:4)

In a movement so theologically poverty-stricken, real preaching is very rare! Preaching is reduced to silly shallowness, subjectivism, and spiritual hype. Scriptures are jerked out of context to legitimize the experience (smart devil)! Charisma magazine admits that the pulpit becomes irrelevant. The whole blasphemous circus makes "the word of God of none effect" (Mark 7:13).37 A sign of demonic activity is demonstrated by the irreverence, ignorance, intimidation, brainwashing techniques, fundraising games, and overall hypocrisy. This kind of Charismatic phenomena departed from the Headship of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the mission of Bible evangelism and Bible education. Now it's all a joke to them!

Some pastors recognize the sham but they never rebuke the sin. Such cowardly shepherds pet the wolves who eat the lambs!

WHAT KIND OF REVIVAL?

This so-called revival does not come through preaching the Gospel, but through laughter. It spreads through testimonies, audio tapes, and the laying-on-of-hands rather than in response to the preaching of the Word of God. The biblical Apostles clearly spoke God's Word calling for repentance from sin; while the laughter phenomena has very little talk of holiness. True revivals of the past were conducted in an atmosphere of great reverence, a holy awe for God, and a deep conviction of sin! There was never irreverence, hilarity, lack of control, or giddy "partying" and "fun."38 A woman "went to church and lit a candle to Mary, and as she did, she burst out in holy laughter."39 This whole thing is the three dollar bill for the fruit of the Spirit! Revival is biblically associated with weeping and a spirit of longing before the Lord. Loud out of control laughter is often connected to scorn and arrogance; not reverence (Luke 6:25-26; Jam. 4:8-10; Ec. 2:1; Rom. 13:12-14; Gal. 5:19-26). Such "revelries" are to be expected from the last days self-seeking pleasure-lovers (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings are characterized by the self-indulgent works of the flesh. The circus atmosphere is best described by, "Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?"40

This kind of laughter is reported in lunatic asylums.41 Such roaring and growling were common in the Babylonian religious festivals, orgies of drunkenness, immorality, and judgment (Jer. 51:37-40). The counterfeit for the gospel is bizarre, foolish, and devilish! Engaging another spirit for worship and devotion is idolatry.

The phenomena of the meetings finds a parallel in paganism, Eastern religions, and in the occult. Following the meetings people have reported the problems of demonic oppression, suicidal feelings, loss of faith, exhaustion, and emotional disruptions.42 The mysticism is as the contacting of spiritual powers, the visualization, the inner-healing techniques, meditation, ecstatic prayer and trance conditions leading people into demonic experiences?43

Christians have found that when these manifestations are rebuked they stopped.44 Put on your spiritual armor and fight back!

WHAT KIND OF ANOINTING?

Are Christians given a "brand-new" anointing from God? We are already anointed! Check it out! The Old Testament anointing has already been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the Anointed One! Then Jesus anointed us by sending the Holy Spirit to abide in us. "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you..." (1 John 2:26-27).

WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE?

First-time visitors to the laughter excesses are generally distant and skeptical. Discerning Christians will recognize an inner-witness to alarm them that this is not of God! The uneasiness and skepticism ought to be a sufficient warning to leave! Given time the subconscious barriers can break down. "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19b). Get out!

The spiritual man judges all things (1 Cor. 2:15). Conscious self-control of the mind and body is a genuine mark of God's Spirit (1 Cor. 14:23,40; Gal. 5:22-25; 2 Pet. 1:5-7). Die to self-desire, and test the spirits objectively by scriptural TRUTH! Know the Scriptures! Nothing of God will contradict Scripture. The whole idea of God contradicting God makes Him a LIAR! Watch out! Satan is the LIAR (John 8:44)! Our only defense is to not accept anything which cannot be validated in God's Word (John 17:17) and by the Spirit of TRUTH (John 4:23).

All Third-Wave, Word-of-Faith, Signs and Wonders, and "Holy" Laugher Charismatics should pray this prayer! "Lord Jesus, I have been tricked by false teachers. I repent! Forgive me for following false doctrines and false shepherds. Restore the years the cultic locusts have eaten."